Sam Armytage hits back at 'pervy' paps, threatens to call police

Sam Armytage has had enough. The popular Sunrise host, and self-proclaimed "click bait", is frequently found in the headlines of women's magazines and online gossip sites with articles obsessing over her dating life, her fashion choices or her "feuds" with Channel 7 co-hosts.

But, that's not to say Armytage takes the gossip lying down. The Channel 7 presenter is rapidly developing a reputation for responding to her critics through scathing online and on-air tirades.

After another intrusion this weekend, she has again spoken out. Here we have the top five times she has hit back.

1. The drone drama rant

Armytage fired up most recently over the weekend, this time about "pervy" and "stalker" paparazzi after spotting a drone flying above her house.

The 40-year-old put up a photo of the drone on Instagram, accompanied by a threatening post, warning she was "calling in the police".

The caption read: "Saturday night; Pervy, stalker, weirdo paps hovering ANOTHER drone in my backyard (& front deck). Calling in Police now. ANY women's magazines or online gossip sites who buy these creepy pictures had better be prepared for a fight. Fed up with this rubbish."

Armytage also later hit out at radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O, after they tweeted they were going to reveal the identity of the person on their show this morning. She retweeted that message, with the words: "Well if you guys know, you should take that name to the police. Cause it was highly illegal, & it's with them now."

She posted to Instagram a photo of the latest edition of women's magazine on stands, which claimed top Channel 7 stars were "at war" with one another.

The article said Armytage had "gone into hiding" last week at a Queensland health retreat amid rumours she could again be "facing the axe".

Armytage slammed the magazine article as "Silly. Trash. Idiotic. Mindless. Bulls***", accusing writers of "making up" the story to "take up several pages during the quiet January period".

Sunrise is part of Seven West media, which also owns rival celebrity women's magazine New Idea.

3. The 'I'm single, leave me alone' rant

Last year, it was gossip about Armytage's personal life, which saw her pipe up. The 40-year TV presenter posted a photo of a woman in a t-shirt with the words printed on it: 'No, I'm not dating anyone. No, I don't know what I'm doing with my life. Yes, I do want another slice of pie.'

In the post, she criticised the "gossips" accusing her of being in love with colleagues and people she has "never met". "All these men and I have a bedtime of 7.30pm... I'm amazing... I urge all of you half sensible people out there not to read/buy this rubbish. And certainly not to believe it. Where's the integrity in 'journalism' these days? If I stand next to someone, it DOES NOT MEAN I'M DATING THEM... As you were..."

4. The 'fat-shaming' rant

In 2014, Armytage accused a newspaper of bullying and fat-shaming her, after it published old pap shots of Armytage when she was at a heavier weight in an article accusing her of having no style and relying heavily on Channel 7's makeup and wardrobe teams.

On air, Armytage said: "Normally I ignore the crap that comes from this particular newspaper. But some days you have to fight for yourself. I don’t understand why newspapers have to dredge up old pictures that have absolutely no news value on such a big day. I’ve never said I’m a model, I’ve never pretended I was skinny. I do the best I can with what I’ve got. I don’t understand this shaming. I don’t know whether it’s trying to bully me into an eating disorder. It’s cowardly and it’s mean."

5. The undie-gate rant

But, in her biggest battle yet, Armytage let the legal team do the talking for her. The now-infamous incident — since dubbed 'Undie-gate' — thrust her into the spotlight last year, when Daily Mail published pap pics of her out shopping, with the headline: 'Sunrise host Sam Armytage dares to bare with giant granny pants showing a visible line as she steps out in Sydney.' The article, which pointed to Armytage's underwear while she was out shopping, caused an online backlash. Many women in media, including rival host Lisa Wilkinson and Bec Judd, spoke out in her defence.